Mr. Mercedes: A Novel

In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes. Mr. Mercedes is a war between good and evil, from the master of suspense whose insight into the mind of this obsessed, insane killer is chilling and unforgettable.

I will stay away from possible spoilers and try to give a slightly different kind of review. Let me first say that Frank Muller was the best reader I have ever listened to but since he has moved on to a better place I am happy to know Mr. King has hired Will Patton to do these type of books. Stephen King has always had great readers but Mr. Mercedes needed a reader who easily brought passion, likeability and believability to the pages and Will Patton did it like only Mr. Muller has for me. Thank you Mr. Patton. As far as the writing goes, well, if you love Stephen King then all you might need to hear is that this book won't disappoint you one bit. I found myself "into" the book during the first few pages and it only got better. Instant takeoff and classic King darkness guides you along during Mr. Mercedes' horrific ride. If you are new to King then get ready for a writer who makes the unlikely seem very likely and who brings creepy out of the dark and into your head. Mr. Mercedes gets 5 stars all around from me!

Innocence: A Novel

He lives in solitude beneath the city, an exile from society, which will destroy him if he is ever seen. She dwells in seclusion, a fugitive from enemies who will do her harm if she is ever found. But the bond between them runs deeper than the tragedies that have scarred their lives. Something more than chance - and nothing less than destiny - has brought them together in a world whose hour of reckoning is fast approaching.

After a few books that fell a step below Odd Thomas, and many, many others which he also wrote, Mr. Koontz delighted me on a level that compared to when I finally closed Odd's first book. With this one, I was shocked, inspired, and gladely saddened it had ended. I got to read about wonderful people who had deepness of character which I rarely find in books. I felt for them on levels that could only speak of Dean Koontz' gift. A gift that has entertained millions. This book showed me that I do not need to wait for the next Odd Thomas story to be inspired by characters that truely affect me on a deep level, that make me wish I actually knew them, or someone like them who I could help in their hour of need. Thank you Mr. Koontz for showing me characters that have parts of the very best of society, and books that I wouldn't be ashamed to one day pass on to our children. This book was smart, entertaining, deep, fun, fast, and memorable. I am once more impressed!

The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel

A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. He is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock. Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie - magical, comforting, wise beyond her years - promised to protect him, no matter what.

The ONLY thing that disappoints me with Neil Gaiman's writing is that he does not do enough of it to satisfy me. I was so happy to find that he wrote a new book and couldn't wait to put it in my short stack of must reads. Not only is he a great writter, but he might have the most pleasing voice that I have ever heard read an audiobook. As you can see, I had high hopes for this book and I'm happy to tell you that it didn't take long before I was assured of it's greatness. WOW, was that a great read! There are GREAT characters, a GREAT plot, the story was level-fluid smooth, and the ending is genuinly worth remembering. Here's a person that knows how to escape reality with a worth while tale and he has the skill to share it with others. He does it without dipping into the swearing, sex, and violence pool, that main stream writting usually swims in. What a gift Gaiman has! "The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel" was well worth my time and now has a place in my stack of books that I am saving to one day pass down to my children. That is a special stack to me, and yes, the book is that good.

Deeply Odd: Odd Thomas, Book 6

How do you make sure a crime that hasn’t happened yet, never does? That’s the critical question facing Odd Thomas, the young man with a unique ability to commune with restless spirits and help them find justice and peace. But this time, it’s the living who desperately need Odd on their side. Three helpless innocents will be brutally executed unless Odd can intervene in time. Who the potential victims are and where they can be found remain a mystery. The only thing Odd knows for sure is who the killer will be: the homicidal stranger who tried to shoot him dead in a small-town parking lot.

In most Odd Thomas book's reviews, besides the first one, I'm never sure if a review is needed because odd fans know what to expect. This one is different, a review is needed! Until now the first book was hands down the best and I was shocked when I started liking Deeply Odd more. The characters, mostly the old woman, are one thing that stood out for me. That woman is a great character! A magical, gun carrying, filthy rich, kind and helpful, funny old woman who always knows someone who can help her and Odd, and a woman who drives over 100 mph almost anywhere she goes, is someone to keep writing about. There is so much to write about here, but I DO NOT WANT TO SPOIL SUCH A TREAT FOR ANY OF YOU!!! If you liked the other books then I am pretty sure you will love this one, it is special in my view.

Joyland

Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever. Joyland is a brand-new novel and has never previously been published.

For those of you, like my wife, who think that Stephen King is "just a gross horror writer," I ask you to read this book. I tell my wife, at least once a year, Mr. King is so much more than what you accuse him of being. She points to old movies and say's there's no character development and only blood and scary stuff. To my wife and to everyone else that consider his books no more, I offer you "Joyland" as proof that your wrong.Joyland is a well written story about a young man's life in the 1970's. He is losing his first true love to another man, so he tries to lose himself in work at an amusment park. Helping him stay there are good friends, life lessons, and the promise from a palm reader that he will save a life or two if he stays longer. While there he finds an unsolved murder mystery that he tries to solve. It is a "who done it", wraped in a "realistic scary story" that's rolled up with "great characters." It is shorter than most of his past works, so it shouldn't scare off too many readers that fear long books. At around 8 hours I got a great read. One last thing, for me, keeping a horror story realistic, keeping me entwined in solid characters, is better and much more scary than making it based on a bunch of blood and guts. Thank you Stephen King!!!

Inferno: A Novel

In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology, Robert Langdon, is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces: Dante’s Inferno. Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust...before the world is irrevocably altered.

I downloaded Dan Brown's latest book as it was released, around 3:30 am, (FWIW, I'm not a bum, I have a spinal injury) and Immediately became absorbed in an utterly fascinating tale! The story is interesting, fast and fierce. I found the reader perfect for the parts and he did everything to bring me in farther. I do not want to spoil the book for any of you so I will only say, if you liked his other works then you will probably like or love "Inferno." I say this because they are very much the same type of books but at the same time very different. I wish all series writers could write that way. I hope you enjoy it as I have. May God Bless!

Snow White Must Die

On a rainy November day, police detectives Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver von Bodenstein are summoned to a mysterious traffic accident: a woman has fallen from a pedestrian bridge onto a car driving underneath. According to a witness, the woman may have been pushed. The investigation leads Pia and Oliver to a small village, and the home of the victim, Rita Cramer. On a September evening eleven years earlier, two seventeen-year-old girls vanished from the village without a trace.

I very much enjoyed my first Nele Neuhaus book and I hope to soon find more of her novels available in english. In the begining I was tempted by the name of the book but once I started listening I found myself deeply entertained and I wound up sitting and listening much longer than I had expected. It is a little different than my usual reads but it is probably even more entertaining (there's that word again!). I refuse to talk much about the story because I will probably destroy some of the beautifully woven pieces, so I will only say that, for me, it would be worth twice the credits that it cost. I say that because I think Nele must of spent a great amount of time weaving this novel and I don't mind paying more to experience it's beauty. Thank's for reading my thoughts on "Snow White Must Die". P.S.: For those that want to know, there is not much bad language or graphic violence to be found. Sure there are murders and such but Nele included them just how this father of two kids prefers, with taste and respect. "Snow White Must Die" is a bit of a throw back to the older mystery writer days that produced so many great writers, less junk and more quality! Good job Nele, I would let my older teen read it, and that's not too easy to say these days.

The Book of Lost Things

High in his attic bedroom, 12-year-old David mourns the loss of his mother. He is angry and he is alone, with only the books on his shelf for company.But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness, and as he takes refuge in the myths and fairytales so beloved of his dead mother, he finds that the real world and the fantasy world have begun to meld. The Crooked Man has come, with his mocking smile and his enigmatic words: "Welcome, your majesty. All hail the new king."

I have read this book several times, I have 2 paper copies, 1 cd and now I downloaded it from Audible. I got it from Audible so I could bookmark it and so it would take up less room on the mp3 than the cd does. Anyway on to the review. How do I tell you how great it is without telling too much? Hmmmmm, well, I think I will try to tell you just a few of the things that I loved about it. This story grabbed me from the first page, yes the first page! No joke at all about that. The way the words spoke to me was different than most books, it was special. The stories pace was detailed but fast, to me it was just the right mixture to make me want to keep going without many breaks. As the story starts it is about an older boy whose Mom dies and he has to accept a new mom and a new half brother. Somewhere around there he starts to hear books talking to him, a "crooked man" starts coming around and he finds a door to a secret land/world. When he enters the new world he finds one of the greatest and worst adventures that anyone could imagine. He meets some of my favorite characters that I have ever read in one book. Some of them befriend him while others scare him, lie to him, try to kill and even try to steal his soul. It is a coming of age book but also so much more. It is an adventure for some older teens but mostly for adults. It has a good ending so don't worry about that. All in all I believe most readers will find a reason to like this book. I usually read Koontz and Stephen King type of books but I now find this book among my all time favorites. The only thing that upsets me is that John Connolly has yet to write another story like this one! I will patiently wait. I hope you give it a try.Thank you for reading my opinion!

The Depression Cure: The 6-Step Program to Beat Depression without Drugs

In the past decade, depression rates have skyrocketed, and one in four Americans will suffer from major depression at some point in their lives. Where have we gone wrong? Dr. Stephen S. Ilardi sheds light on our current predicament and reminds us that our bodies were never designed for the sleep-deprived, poorly nourished, frenzied pace of 21st-century life.

I have a dear family member that did me a favor, they listened from the 7:35 mark until the 25:02 point (I bookmarked it for them). That is all that I asked. I did it in an attempt to help although I knew it would only work if they were ready (ready enough) for it to work. Well, it really worked! They started the 1000mg Omega 3 vitamin that very hour and what a difference it made in her. She never ate fish, hated it, and she is allergic to nuts so she was really lacking in the fatty acids that help the brain. She also did the other thing that was mentioned, kept busy when she was thinking too deep about negative things. The book is over 6 hours long but was helped in the first 18 minutes, wow. What a wonderful tool for life! Thank you Dr. and Audible!!! P.S., I suggest reading the whole book in time!

The Hobbit

Like every other hobbit, Bilbo Baggins likes nothing better than a quiet evening in his snug hole in the ground, dining on a sumptuous dinner in front of a fire. But when a wandering wizard captivates him with tales of the unknown, Bilbo becomes restless. Soon he joins the wizard’s band of homeless dwarves in search of giant spiders, savage wolves, and other dangers. Bilbo quickly tires of the quest for adventure and longs for the security of his familiar home. But before he can return to his life of comfort, he must face the greatest threat of all.

What a comforting audiobook. How nice it is when you buy an audiobook that repays you with a great story and a comforting and riviting reader/actor. I had never read "The Hobbit" before so I had only a vague familiarity of the characters to start my literary adventure, but let me tell you how wonderful and exciting it was to go along with Bilbo, Gandalf, (and the Dwarves) Thorin, Fili, Kili, Dwalin, Balin, Oin, Gloin, Ori, Dori, Nori, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur. We met up with the Elves, Wargs, Goblins, Trolls, Humans and Smaug the dragon who lives in the Mountain that he had stolen from the Dwarves many years before. Oh I miss it already. I guess it's a great thing that I have a bad memory so I can enjoy this one again before too long (LOL). I refuse to spoil the story for you so I will have to leave off after adding that I hope you give this book a chance, that is only if your up for a grand literary adventure.

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